Letter 219: Theodore Studite, Letter 219; Greek heading: Ἰωάννῃ τέκνῳ.

I take pleasure, my child and brother, in your letters, because they proceed in good order and shun the seasickness of verbosity; for the virtue of a letter is precisely to take hold at once of the subject set before it and to say only such things as are necessary, and not to circle around what is beside the point. Very well. Concerning the matters about which you have inquired, it is not for the present moment to investigate such things, nor for us to initiate you into them, O excellent child; since, along with the rest, I too am uninitiated [unversed] in things hard to attain. But, so as not to grieve you by my speechlessness, this much I say concerning the first point: that none yet of the other God-bearing [holy] fathers has clarified the problem so well as Gregory of Nyssa [Cappadocian father, c. 335-c. 395]. Let us therefore be content with the father's contemplation [theoria], in a contemplation raised exceedingly high; for what lies beyond Gadeira [Cadiz, the ancient limit of the known world] is not to be crossed, as the saying goes. And concerning the second point ("the prudent man at that time will keep silence, because it is an evil time") it does not seem to me to be crooked and twisted; for a time for us to speak has been distinguished by the God-inspired Scripture, and a time for silence, as we look to the need that presses upon us and dispense [administer, oikonomein] the word of truth. For have we not been commanded not to cast the holy things to the dogs, nor to throw the pearls before swine? Consider the God-bearing fathers, and these too you will find at times placing the word under the bushel-measure of silence, when speaking is unprofitable, or rather even harmful; and at times raising it up upon the lampstand, whenever the sowing is fruitful and not stony. This much I have observed together in the proposition. But if you discover from yourself, or even from others, things more well-tested, do not begrudge to impart them to me, your father and brother, who am lacking in understandings [in concepts]. Farewell, praying for me much.

Ἥδομαι, τέκνον καὶ ἀδελφέ, ἐν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς σου, ὅτι καὶ καθ' εἱρμὸν ἔρχονται καὶ τὸν τῆς πολυλογίας ναυτιασμὸν ἀπαναίνονται· καὶ γὰρ ἐπιστολῆς ἀρετὴ εὐθὺς τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως ἅπτεσθαι καὶ τοσαῦτα λέγειν ἅττα ἐπάναγκες, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπικυκλεῖν τὰ οὐχ οὕτως. Εἶεν· περὶ ὧν ἠρώτησας, οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ τὰ τοιάδε φιλοπευστεῖν οὔτε πρὸς ἡμῶν μυεῖσθαί σε, ὦ καλὲ παῖ· ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ἀμύητος ἐγὼ τῶν δυσεφίκτων. ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ παραλυπῆσαι τῇ ἀφασίᾳ, ἐκεῖνο λέγω περὶ τοῦ πρώτου, ὅτι οὐδείς πω τῶν ἄλλων θεοφόρων ἐλεύκανε τὸ πρόβλημα οὕτως ὡς ὁ Νυσσααῖος Γρηγόριος. ἀρκεσθῶμεν οὖν τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς θεωρίᾳ ἐν ἀνηνεγμένῃ θεωρίᾳ ἄγαν· τὸ γὰρ ἐπέκεινα Γαδείρων οὐ περατόν, ὡς ὁ λόγος. περὶ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου (ὁ συνιῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σιωπήσεται, ὅτι καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστιν) οὐ δοκεῖ μοι καμπύλον καὶ σκολιὸν εἶναι· καιρὸς γὰρ τοῦ λαλεῖν ἡμᾶς διώρισται ὑπὸ τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς καὶ καιρὸς σιωπῆς, κατὰ τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν χρείαν σκοπούντων ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκονομούντων τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας· ἦ γὰρ οὐχὶ μὴ βάλλειν τοῖς κυσὶ τὰ ἅγια μήτε ῥίπτειν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων προστετάγμεθα; ἄθρει τοὺς θεοφόρους, καὶ τούσδε εὑρήσεις πῇ μὲν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τῆς σιωπῆς τὸν λόγον τιθέντας, ὁπότε ἀλυσιτελὲς τὸ λέγειν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ζημιῶδες, πῇ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς λυχνίας αὐτὸν ἀνιόντας, ὁπηνίκα εὔκαρπος ἡ σπορὰ καὶ οὐ πετρώδης. Τοσαῦτά μοι συνεώραται ἐν τῇ προτάσει. ἐξευρίσκων δὲ παρὰ σεαυτοῦ ἢ καὶ ὑφ' ἑτέρων τὰ δοκιμώτερα μὴ φθονήσειας μεταδοῦναι ἐμοὶ τῷ σῷ πατρὶ καὶ ἀδελφῷ, ἐνδεεῖ τῶν νοημάτων ὑπάρχοντι. ἔρρωσο, πλεῖστά μοι προσευχόμενος.